Page 99 of The Heir's Bargain

His words shouldn't have hurt, yet they did.

I scoffed. "Just because we had sex?—"

His hand gripped my knee. "I'm not proposing we stop pretending because we had sex, Ferrios. As incredible as it was," he said, cocking a brow, "and it was incredible, I will never deny that. I wanted to make this real before that."

My fingers curled around the bench. "Then why didn't you say anything?" I asked skeptically.

Fynn sighed and brushed a hand through his hair. "Because, Dani, you mean too much to me to mess this—whatever this is—up. Perhaps sleeping with you was a mistake."

I tried to pull my hand away, but Fynn squeezed it.

His words came out in a flurry. "Shit. See? I'm already messing this up." He scooted closer, his knees bumping into mine. "It was only a mistake because now you doubt my intentions. I should have said no, but I didn't because when I'm around you, I can't help but say yes."

I was completely and utterly speechless as I stared at Fynn.

This wasn't a part of the plan. This was never supposed to happen.

Yet, last night wasn't either.

"So, tell me the truth, Ferrios. Am I the only one who can't stop thinking about last night? About what would happen if we stopped pretending?"

I stared at our conjoined hands, his knees pressed against mine.

Stars spun in the back of my eyes.

This was too much.

Too much.

Too much.

Sleeping together was one thing. Having my feelings rekindled was one thing. But admitting them to Fynn? Making this courtship real? That was an entirely different issue.

Fynn shifted and dug a hand in his pocket. He pulled out a playing card.

"Fynn, I don’t think this isn't the time for?—"

He slapped a hand down on the space beside me. When he peeled his hand away, a single card sat atop the cushion.

"The truth only, Dani."

But as I stared at the eight of spades, the truth wasn't that easy to confess. Because how could I tell him I had been in love with him since we were children?

Whatever Fynn was feeling wasn't love. Despite what he said, love didn't happen overnight. That was lust. But did I care?

Wasn’t one moment—or two months—with Fynn better than none?

"No," I mumbled.

Fynn tipped my chin up, his thumb sweeping across it before pulling at my bottom lip. "What was that, Ferrios?"

I forced my gaze to meet his. The sunlight seeping through the thin space between the curtains streaked across his face. A fire of gold danced among the dark shadows within his irises.

Warning bells sounded in my head.

But the beat of my racing heart was louder than the ringing.

"I said, no, you're not the only one."

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